Members of the Marathon County Sheriff's Department SWAT team train during a 2008 exercise at Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee.

Written by

Shereen Skola
Daily Herald Media

Local emergency officials want to arm firefighters with SWAT training and gear so they can accompany police officers and give them medical care in the event of emergencies.

The plan calls for five firefighters from the Wausau Fire Department to undergo Tactical Emergency Medical Specialist training. Wausau firefighters already are trained as paramedics, but TEMS members learn tactical, specialized emergency medical care to help them in situations SWAT teams typically face. SWAT teams are called out for a number of reasons, including hostage rescue operations and confronting armed ...